Expedia, Inc., the world's largest travel company, today announced a new global strategic partnership with Asia's largest carrier, China Southern Airlines. The agreement, which represents the first-ever global partnership between the Guangzhou-based airline and an online travel agency, will make China Southern's fares and inventory available on all full-service Expedia(R) websites in North America, Europe and Asia, as well as through corporate travel provider Egencia(R); on leading discount travel site Hotwire(R); and on China's second-largest online travel site eLong(TM).

 

"Our aim is to capture the growing demand for travel to and within China, and make travel into the country simpler and more accessible,"  says Greg Schulze, senior vice president of global tour and transport for Expedia Worldwide. "That's what makes this partnership with China Southern Airlines so exciting. We are increasing our relevance with Chinese consumers, and extending the reach of China Southern to a greater audience of travelers around the world."

 

By working with Expedia, travel suppliers gain unmatched exposure to the millions of consumers that visit Expedia sites each month worldwide. Expedia's dynamic packaging capabilities also enhance value for consumers by allowing them to create their own unique vacation packages. Now Expedia customers can bundle China Southern flights with any of the nearly 145,000 hotels offered on Expedia sites worldwide and save on the total trip cost.

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"Through our partnership with Expedia, we are now able to promote China Southern Airlines' flights on Expedia sites in countries like the U.K. and Australia where we've not previously had a presence," said Zhao Zaikui, president of sales for China Southern Airlines. "We're confident that our impressive air offerings, coupled with Expedia's vast global reach, will serve to build brand awareness and drive incremental demand for China Southern among an entirely new audience of international travelers."